Chattahoochee Valley Wins Big in National Program

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced finalists and winners in the federal Recompete Pilot Program – and CHIPS4CHIPS* was both a finalist and a winner for our region, the only one in the state of Georgia.
The United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley’s application is one of only 22 finalists nationwide who can now apply for implementation grants for Phase 2 of the program. Phase 2 investments will range from $20-$50 million across a wide range of economic and workforce development initiatives. In addition, the application won a $500,000 Strategy Development Grant to help our region significantly increase local coordination and planning. The designation can make selected grantees more competitive for future Recompete funding. The Recompete Program is about investment in economically distressed communities to create and connect people to good jobs. The program targets areas where prime-age employment (25-54 years) significantly trails the national average, seeking to reduce and/or eliminate barriers to existing jobs, while creating new jobs. The Phase I finalists were selected from nearly 600 applications across the nation.

The application is part of the work of CHIPS4CHIPS (C4C)*, a regional effort to transform our region by creating a highly skilled workforce, and recruiting the semiconductor industry and other advanced manufacturing projects to the Chattahoochee Valley.
The Greater Chattahoochee Valley’s application focuses on reducing and/or eliminating barriers to existing jobs within the bi-state region and creating a highly skilled workforce that will attract employers with high-paying jobs. The local task force that worked on the application included a broad sector of business owners, non-profits, school systems, universities, colleges, technical schools, corporate CEOs, and governmental leaders. Brigadier General (Retired) Andy Hilmes with the C4C Coalition, praised the work of the task force. “While it would be ideal not to have to compete in this program, our region’s eligibility stems from its high poverty rate. Nevertheless, one of our community’s greatest strengths lies in its ability to bring together individuals from various backgrounds, fostering collaborative efforts that consistently produce outstanding work recognized on a national scale.”
Ben Moser, President and CEO of the United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley (UWCV), and Chair of the C4C effort was enthusiastic about the news. “Winning the Recompete Strategy Grant and being one of 22 finalists for the Implementation Grant is a huge win for our community. This grant will help us create the workforce of the future in the Chattahoochee Valley which is the key component in attracting industry investment and high-wage jobs.”

Designating United Way as the applicant for Recompete was another result of this community’s collaboration. Moser noted, “The history of effectiveness re: community-based development is a great strength of our United Way and provided the best opportunity for us to win this competition.” Moser also described the partnerships that helped make the project effective. “The successful collaboration of UWCV and C4C efforts is an incredible asset and benefits our entire region. We are grateful to so many community leaders and organizations, as well as local, state, and national officials, who are supporting this work.”
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*CHIPS4CHIPS (the Chattahoochee Hub for Innovation and Production of Semiconductors/ C4C) is a bi-state, multi-county alliance of individuals and organizations in Columbus, GA, Phenix City, AL, and the greater Chattahoochee Valley. The initiative is dedicated to addressing the United States’ national and economic security priority of onshoring the semiconductor industry and other advanced manufacturing as outlined in the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act. C4C is actively engaged in attracting the semiconductor industry and its related supply chain to the Chattahoochee Valley region.

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Marquette McKnight
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